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Santo Stefano: Who is celebrated on December 26th?

What do you call it Saint Stephen, like Catholics, or boxing day, as in the Anglo-Saxon world, the day following Christmas is a holiday in many countries of the world.

Saint Stephen

St. Stephen is the first martyr of Christianity, according to what the New Testament reports. Shortly after Jesus died between 33 and 36 AD because he was accused of blasphemy. It is close to Christmas like many other saints who were close to Christ on Earth. The Catholic Church and some Protestants celebrate it on December 26th. For the Orthodox the date is 27.

Who was

According to historical sources, he lived in Jerusalem. He was one of the first 7 deacons chosen by the apostles to help them spread the gospel. The acts of the apostles who tell his story define him, in chapter 6, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. It is not known whether he was Greek or Jewish. The name Stephen means crown, crowned and comes from the Greek. His death was witnessed by the future Saint Paul, who had not yet converted.

Patron

Protects deacons, bakers, headaches. His emblem are palm and stones.

Festive

It is a celebration in Italy, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Catalonia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro (it is the patron saint) and Romania. With us, the day following Christmas has been a holiday since 1949.

Ireland

In Ireland it defines itself St. Stephen ‘s Day from Wren’ s Day in Gaelic, Wren’s Day in English. Episodes from the life of Jesus with a sparrow are connected to this day. In Ireland you go from house to house with a sparrow, singing songs. Once upon a time men and boys dressed in rags did it. Now the sparrows are images or fake, once they were real.

Boxing Day

In Anglo-Saxon countries it is not Boxing Day, but boxing day. The origin of the day comes from the tradition of giving something to the poor. The name would come from the alms boxes outside the churches, not the gift boxes left outside the doors on the day following Christmas. If December 26 is Sunday, it moves to the next day and is increasingly associated with the start of the sales. Old England had this day as a privileged one for fox hunting.

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